Warning: Team Leaders are disengaging
In 2024, only 27% of team leaders worldwide reported being engaged at work, down from 30% the previous year. Among employees without management responsibilities, engagement remained flat at 18%. The disengagement is clearly hitting those in charge of teams.
Young team leaders (under 35) and women in leadership roles are especially affected. In North America, the proportion of leaders who say they’re “thriving in life” has dropped from 61% to 52% in just a few years.
70% of team engagement depends directly on the quality of the leader-employee relationship.
Key points to remember for the US and Canada:
- Tied for the highest regional percentage of engaged employees
- Highest regional percentage of employees experiencing daily stress
- Third highest regional percentage of fulfilled employees
A Hyper-Demanding Work Context
Over the past five years, leaders have been navigating relentless organizational challenges:
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mass retirements and high turnover;
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budget cuts and constant restructuring;
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shifting employee expectations around purpose and flexibility;
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fast-paced digital transformation and the rise of AI.
They often act as the “buffer zone” between executive decisions and frontline realities — without always having the tools, time or recognition needed to fulfill that role.
What’s the solution? Equip your Team Leaders
Gallup identifies three high-impact strategies to reverse the trend:
1. Provide basic training for all leaders
Globally, fewer than half of team leaders have received adequate training. And yet, trained leaders are twice as likely to be engaged. Even basic, practical training on managing teams and giving feedback can change the game.
2. Develop coaching and engagement skills
Traditional leadership is no longer enough. Top-performing leaders are those who can listen, support, and inspire. Coaching is a learnable skill, and targeted training programs can boost manager performance by 20–28%.
3. Make wellbeing part of leadership development
Team leaders who receive both training and ongoing encouragement for development are almost twice as likely to report thriving wellbeing levels (from 28% to 50%). The ripple effect? Lower absenteeism, healthier teams, and better performance.
The message is clear: support your Leaders or brace for impact
This isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a necessity for organizations that want to remain sustainable, humane, and productive. Here in Canada, where work-related stress is legally recognized as a psychosocial risk, supporting leaders is not just strategic, it’s responsible.
